An ancient beverage remembered for its addictive parts appreciated all over, has a tale to impart. A legend may be as fictitious as it may sound; come, let us hear how different the beans are… according to an Ethiopian legend that attributes the discovery of coffee to Kaldi, a goatherd living in the coffee forests of the Ethiopian plateau in the 9th century.

Kaldi observed that some of his goats would experience a burst of energy after munching on certain red beans; to an extent that it would prevent the goats from sleeping at night. He decided to try the beans himself and was so impressed by their effects that he brought the coffee beans to a monk at a nearby Islamic monastery. But the monk did not approve of the use of the beans and threw them into a fire. A delicious aroma issued from the fire, which caused other monks to come and investigate. The roasted beans were recovered from the fire, ground up and used to make the world’s first cup of coffee.

While the story is likely fanciful; there’s no denying that the Arabian Peninsula was where the cultivation of coffee began.
Emerging from the Arabic term ‘qahwah‘ – a word that was originally used to refer to wine. Coffee was initially prepared by boiling the beans in water. Wrapped within the revolutions of many eras, it won’t be wrong to call it as a witness of the culture (s) from their emergence to thaw.

Ibrik or Cezvec

Over time, from their initial stage of serving as ibrik, there were other techniques which were devised to extract flavour from the beans. Demand for coffee boomed in Europe around the end of the 18th century. Inventions of steam powered machines that could rapidly pump out large amounts of the drink were done. However, the taste of the coffee produced in such a manner was generally inferior, as the ground beans were over-heated by the steam.

In order to gain the best output every technique ever invented or evolved, all of them involve the same basic steps –1. The beans are first roasted.2. The roasted beans are ground.3. The ground beans are steeped in hot water.4. The liquid is separated from the coffee grounds.

In 1901, an Italian inventor named Luigi Bezzeracame up with a design for a device that used steam to force hot water through ground coffee beans. In this device, the beans never came in contact with the scalding steam; thereby producing a better tasting drink. Modern espresso machines operate on this very concept. Filters are commonly used in most modern coffee brewing methods.

But today we have many other different types of coffee brewing techniques. It’s no more just a cup of coffee but an art to delight the taste senses.Amongst many coffee brewing techniques from their ancient to the present time below is a list of the popular brewing techniques which have evolved time again bringing the best of what we have today, have a look here:

Brewing Using Pressure:

Pressure brewed coffee merely describes a cup of coffee that is extracted using…you guessed it…pressure, resulting in fast extraction times and a more intense brew (when compared with other brewing styles)here are the three most common ways to brew coffee with a little pressure:

The Espresso Machine

Anyone who knows anything about coffee knows what an espresso machine is – they’ve been keeping us caffeinated since 1901. Today they come in various shapes and sizes, with loads of features and gimmicks. Don’t get confused by flash machines though because the basics are the same: pressurized water is pushed through a chamber/puck of finely ground coffee beans, through a filter, resulting in what we call a shot of espresso.

The Moka Pot

Don’t have a few hundred bucks to spend on an espresso machine, but still looking for that espresso-shot-like-kick that comes from a pressurized brew? The stovetop espresso maker AKA the Moka pot is the next best thing. The magic behind the Moka pot is in its 3 chambered brew process. Water in the bottom chamber boils, and the steam causes pressure that pushes water up through the coffee grounds into the top chamber.

The Aeropress

The AeroPress has a cult following among the travelling coffee community, and it looks more like a science project rather than a brewing coffee apparatus. But if you ask us; it’s the best thing that happened to coffee brewing. Keeping s**t simple is the name of the game; the right water temperature, the right level of air pressure and the right size grind leaves you with an excellent tasting brew in a matter of minutes! (seriously, it’s one of the fastest coffee makers you can get your mitts on)

Brewing via Steeping

Steeping is just another word for immersion, and it’s the most fundamental (and longest standing) method of brewing coffee. In a nutshell, you are simply mixing coffee grinds directly with hot water, allowing the two to work their magic, and then separating them, keeping the coffee, and dumping the wet coffee grinds.

The French press

The French press is the unofficial mascot of home brewed coffee; it’s been steeping coffee in households since before your grandparents were born, and it has a very loyal, cult following among the home barista community.

The SoftBrew

A relatively new invention (est. 2010) the SoftBrew has been dubbed ‘primitive yet high tech’. I’m not sure what the heck that means, but if I were to describe the SoftBrew in simple terms, I would say “it’s like a French press, but easier.”

It has ‘simple’ written all over it: fill the Softbrew stainless steel filter with ground coffee, add your hot water, let it steep (4-8 minutes) and then serve.

Just like a teapot, in fact. No abracadabra required.

The Coffee Bag

The idea of instant coffee is great – it comes in a small jar so you can take it anywhere;
just add hot water. There’s just one major problem, however; it tastes like ass. Enter the coffee bag – the solution to ass-tasting instant coffee.

The Vaccum Pot

Also known as the syphon pot, making coffee this way is unique as it comes; it’s a combination of brewing methods; a full immersion brew (as your coffee goes into the water) but also uses syphon action to create a great tasting cup.

It’s not a simple way to brew coffee, in fact, it requires an enormous amount of effort and process, so you won’t want to use it daily (unless you’ve got nothing else to do).

With the detailed information about the brewing techniques and a paradigm shift with cultures into it, there are much more techniques of brewing which still exist. We leave you with this detailed infographic about the unmentioned ones. have a look and share your views about our effort to write and share this with you.

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Published by Mohammed Sajid

A Bibliophile, and a language lover. A writer by heart and a Journalist by profession. Travelling to regions and exploring their cultures is my curiosity. Am a political, and lifestyle enthusiast, religion is my refuge and my principle. Am always reachable at any bookstores, food corners, and libraries close to your locale.
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